Overview
- Delhi recorded its season’s lowest at Safdarjung with 3.2°C, as Ayanagar hit 2.9°C and Palam 3.0–3.3°C, meeting IMD cold wave criteria at multiple stations.
- IMD maintained yellow to orange cold-wave alerts for January 12–13 across Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with easing only after midweek.
- Sub-zero or near-freezing lows spread widely, including Pratapgarh at −2°C and Barmer at −1°C in Rajasthan, Bathinda at 1.6°C in Punjab, and Gurugram later reported at 0.6°C.
- Dense fog persisted across northwest India and Bihar, with visibility disruptions, airport delay advisories in Delhi, and a reported fatal road crash in Patna under foggy conditions.
- Delhi’s AQI hovered around 291–298 in the poor range with forecasts of very poor through January 12–14, while separate monitoring showed Mumbai at an unhealthy 205 with severe hotspots such as Chembur at 349.